Seeking Answers

The best way to learn is to ask questions. The second best is to listen to what others are asking. The magic is in the listening.

Is Deceit Part of Moh?
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Is Deceit Part of Moh?

In this Q&A, a seeker asks whether deceit and trickery are separate vikaras or part of moh, which is usually understood as attachment or ignorance. Through the example of Ravana, Maricha, and Sita in the Ramayana, the answer explains how moh is attachment to “mine”, and how ego uses moh to make us act deceitfully, subtly distorting pure thinking through attractive forms.

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How to Act Without Attachment?
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

How to Act Without Attachment?

In this Q&A, the teacher explains how to act with awareness rather than attachment. Using the example of a train seat, she shows that duty performed from Self-awareness is not attachment. The Self — the conscious “I” — must awaken and take charge of the mind, intellect, and senses, becoming the true master and driver of life.

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The Inner Meaning of Curses and Blessings in Scripture
Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta

The Inner Meaning of Curses and Blessings in Scripture

In this Q&A, the teacher explains that curses (shraap) and blessings (vardaan) in spiritual texts are symbolic. A curse represents the presence of impurity that needs purification, while a blessing indicates inner strength or virtue. Both point to our inner evolution — not external magic, but the inevitable movement of the soul toward higher consciousness.

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Are Omens Real or Symbolic?
Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta

Are Omens Real or Symbolic?

In this Q&A, the teacher explains that omens (shakun–apshakun) in the Ramayan are symbolic. Nature itself is neutral; omens have no real power. It is our thoughts, beliefs, and state of mind that create their effect. When we live in awareness, omens lose all influence — they are only reflections of our own thinking.

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Cutting Off Shurpanakha’s Nose and Ears
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Cutting Off Shurpanakha’s Nose and Ears

In this Q&A, the teacher explains that Shurpanakha’s nose and ears being cut is not a physical act but a symbol. It means making the force of attachment powerless through awareness, thought, and willpower. Using daily life examples, the talk shows how self-knowledge and clear thinking weaken the hold of ego-based attachment.

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The Inner Meaning of Ram and Sita’s Marriage
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

The Inner Meaning of Ram and Sita’s Marriage

In this Q&A, the teacher explains that Sita represents our pure, sacred thinking — born when knowledge plows the field of the mind. Ram is the conscious Self, and their marriage symbolizes the union of the soul with purity, not a physical relationship.

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Who Is Kadru and What Do the Nāgas Symbolize?
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Who Is Kadru and What Do the Nāgas Symbolize?

A Q&A explaining the symbolic meaning of Kadru and the Nāgas: Kadru represents our tamasic or negative nature, and the Nāgas are the negative tendencies buried deep in the subconscious mind — not physical snakes. The Purāṇas use these symbols to describe inner states of consciousness, not outer worlds.

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Why does Lord Ganesha Have an Elephant Head?
Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta Ramayana, Basic Concepts Arpan Gupta

Why does Lord Ganesha Have an Elephant Head?

A clear symbolic reading of Ganesha’s form: subtle eyes (seeing the good), big ears (deep listening), trunk (handling the tiniest and largest tasks), one broken tusk (one clear goal), big belly (capacity to absorb and keep confidences), the mouse (quietly picking up essentials and using reasoning for protection), and four hands — axe, rope, blessing, and modaka — showing how discernment cuts vices, holds virtues, wishes well, and brings joy.

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Ardhanarishvara - The Union of Puruṣa and Prakṛti
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Ardhanarishvara - The Union of Puruṣa and Prakṛti

A listener asks how puruṣa can be called supreme when the concept of Ardhanarishvara itself shows equality between man and woman, consciousness and nature. The answer explains that both puruṣa (soul) and prakṛti (nature) are equally essential — neither can function without the other. The mistaken idea of male dominance arises from deep-rooted impressions over many births, but the fire of knowledge can dissolve them completely.

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Was Sita Really Born from the Earth?
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Was Sita Really Born from the Earth?

A listener asks whether it’s possible for Sita to be born from the ground, as described in the Ramayana. The answer reveals the spiritual meaning: King Janaka’s “plowing” symbolizes running the plow of knowledge over the field of the mind. When impurities are removed, inner purity arises — that purity itself is called Sita. The story is not about a girl emerging from soil, but about the birth of pure thought within consciousness.

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Why Does the Bride’s Family Seem “Lower”?
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

Why Does the Bride’s Family Seem “Lower”?

A listener asks why scriptures say that even if the groom’s family is of lower lineage, the bride’s side still faces humiliation — was such inequality present even in the ancient Treta Yuga? The answer explains that this is not a reflection of ancient dharma but the result of misinterpreting symbolic language: once “woman” was taken to mean female instead of prakriti, and “man” as male instead of soul, social imbalances arose — a misunderstanding whose effects still persist today.

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“Husband and Wife” in Scriptures
Ramayana Arpan Gupta Ramayana Arpan Gupta

“Husband and Wife” in Scriptures

A listener asks whether scriptures command a wife to serve even an immoral husband. The answer clarifies the symbolic language of the Puranas: “man/husband” signifies the soul (puruṣa) and “woman/wife” signifies prakriti (body–mind–senses). The teaching is that prakriti should follow the soul’s direction — not a gender rule — illustrated with episodes like Nishadraj Guh and Bharadwaj Muni.

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